FOOD - Live from the Mariner - April 2 - 20

I seriously doubt that British Airways looks at its bookings and on a pax list sees Jackie and her husband and then looks at its fleet and puts the same identical plane into service so she will feel at home! I actually think what she meant was that they fly the same sort of plane (which would be understandable if they are on the Upper Deck because only the 747s have the Upper Deck)

My impressions of BA over my last several flights with them is that there are a lot of things broken, especially around the seats on the Upper Deck. By contrast on my recent Iberia flight I was amazed by the newness and working order of everything around me. No Upper Deck though!!

I seriously doubt that British Airways looks at its bookings and on a pax list sees Jackie and her husband and then looks at its fleet and puts the same identical plane into service so she will feel at home! I actually think what she meant was that they fly the same sort of plane (which would be understandable if they are on the Upper Deck because only the 747s have the Upper Deck)

 

My impressions of BA over my last several flights with them is that there are a lot of things broken, especially around the seats on the Upper Deck. By contrast on my recent Iberia flight I was amazed by the newness and working order of everything around me. No Upper Deck though!!

The A380 has an upper deck as well. Not sure if BA has them in their fleet.

fairbourne and Gerry: Nice to read that you understood my posts. Actually, when I was writing about the plane, I had just arrived home and was thinking about the delays and the flights that we just completed. Generally posters on Cruise Critic are interested in different airlines, planes, lounges, etc. so I thought I would share. These were included Business Class flights with Regent. Since we fly out of Vancouver, and BA is contracted with them, we fly BA a lot. No matter where the flight originates, we end up at Heathrow and take the same flight to Vancouver.

For whatever reason, Regent would not permit us to fly BA to Cape Town (for our November, 2015 cruise). The flights that we are booked on is BA from Vancouver to Seattle to Heathrow and then Cape Town. We will be on 777's and 747's. The flights from both Seattle and Vancouver are horrendous (very long lay-overs in addition to long flights).

Suite Travels: We tried and tried to get flights on an A380 going to Cape Town. We could have booked Qatar on our own to accomplish this but their layovers are even worse than BA's.

Anyway, I have learned that airplanes have numbers on their tails. Not sure what I will do with that information;)

Jackie, it really is difficult from the west coast on any airline and avoid long layovers or overnights. We leave for Africa next week and are using Emirates to Dubai and connect to Johannesburg via JFK. I just found out Emirates flys non-stop from Orlando to DXB....too late to change as we are in the rare suites using our AMEX miles that they move to Skyward. We loved Singapore in F and and really look forward to flying EK

BA is an excellent airline but we just hate Heathrow and going through security again even in transit and schlepping on a bus to the next terminal. The oasis is the Concorde lounge in LHR.

Jackie, I enjoyed reading your food reviews and beautiful scenic pictures of the ports.

Miles, safe travels!

The A380 has an upper deck as well. Not sure if BA has them in their fleet.

They do, and you may be interested to know they'll be operating the A380 out of Miami starting around the beginning of November 2015, along with the 747.

For those of you who have flown in the upper decks on the 747, do you have to carry your hand luggage up stairs? We are about to take our first flight in the "penthouse" and are worried that we may not be able to roll our luggage to our seats like we've done on all our other flights.

JourneyFan - As a "very frequent flyer", and as one who is "way beyond annoyed" at people (whether in Business/First or Economy) who insist on trying to carry on steamer trunks, "refrigerator boxes", small-sized vehicles, bass fiddles, along with 3-4 "hand carried" bags (rather than the ONE allowed hand carry bag) onto the plane, I'll try to restrain and moderate my answer here.

If the suitcase you want to bring onboard MUST be wheeled to your seat because it's simply too large/heavy for you to "hand carry" it comfortably to your seat.......then by definition, it doesn't really meet the definition of a "hand carried bag", does it?

That being said......if it's too awkward, too heavy, or too large for you to manage it by yourself while climbing the admittedly steep and narrow stairs to the "penthouse", I am absolutely sure the you can prevail upon one of the cabin staff (near the base of the stairs) as you board the plane to haul it up to the upper level for you without any trouble or complaint whatsoever. After all, you have paid a premium price to sit up there and the crew will be quite accommodating in helping you, rather than causing a "scene"! :p You'll have priority boarding anyway, just by being in Business Class, so you'll be easily able (and accommodated) to get a crew member to help you.

Have a great flight. I love the "penthouse" and reserve a seat up there whenever the opportunity presents itself to fly on a 747. I love that plane and hate to see it coming to then end of it's service life. But please note that the steps (on the 747) to get up to the upper cabin are very narrow and very steep. BE CAREFUL - even if your hands are free of luggage! Regards.

JourneyFan - As a "very frequent flyer", and as one who is "way beyond annoyed" at people (whether in Business/First or Economy) who insist on trying to carry on steamer trunks, "refrigerator boxes", small-sized vehicles, bass fiddles, along with 3-4 "hand carried" bags (rather than the ONE allowed hand carry bag) onto the plane, I'll try to restrain and moderate my answer here.

 

If the suitcase you want to bring onboard MUST be wheeled to your seat because it's simply too large/heavy for you to "hand carry" it comfortably to your seat.......then by definition, it doesn't really meet the definition of a "hand carried bag", does it?

 

That being said......if it's too awkward, too heavy, or too large for you to manage it by yourself while climbing the admittedly steep and narrow stairs to the "penthouse", I am absolutely sure the you can prevail upon one of the cabin staff (near the base of the stairs) as you board the plane to haul it up to the upper level for you without any trouble or complaint whatsoever. After all, you have paid a premium price to sit up there and the crew will be quite accommodating in helping you, rather than causing a "scene"! :p You'll have priority boarding anyway, just by being in Business Class, so you'll be easily able (and accommodated) to get a crew member to help you.

 

Have a great flight. I love the "penthouse" and reserve a seat up there whenever the opportunity presents itself to fly on a 747. I love that plane and hate to see it coming to then end of it's service life. But please note that the steps (on the 747) to get up to the upper cabin are very narrow and very steep. BE CAREFUL - even if your hands are free of luggage! Regards.

Agree with you 99%. Actually, the storage upstairs is limited in terms of accommodating carry-on luggage. However, there is tons of rooms (next to the window seat) for handbags and other small items. The only area where we disagree somewhat is the "premium price" to book a seat upstairs. When Regent books your flight, there is no charge whatsoever to book a seat upstairs. However, if you book the flights on your own, you have to pay to book seats in advance (unless you have a certain status with BA). Seats upstairs do carry a higher fee than seats booked downstairs.

journeyfan: yes -- you do have to carry your things upstairs. Although we each have a small carry-on, my DH had to carry it up for me due to my temporary disability. I did need to hold on to both handrails in order to get to the upper deck.

JourneyFan - As a "very frequent flyer", and as one who is "way beyond annoyed" at people (whether in Business/First or Economy) who insist on trying to carry on steamer trunks, "refrigerator boxes", small-sized vehicles, bass fiddles, along with 3-4 "hand carried" bags (rather than the ONE allowed hand carry bag) onto the plane, I'll try to restrain and moderate my answer here.

 

If the suitcase you want to bring onboard MUST be wheeled to your seat because it's simply too large/heavy for you to "hand carry" it comfortably to your seat.......then by definition, it doesn't really meet the definition of a "hand carried bag", does it?

 

That being said......if it's too awkward, too heavy, or too large for you to manage it by yourself while climbing the admittedly steep and narrow stairs to the "penthouse", I am absolutely sure the you can prevail upon one of the cabin staff (near the base of the stairs) as you board the plane to haul it up to the upper level for you without any trouble or complaint whatsoever. After all, you have paid a premium price to sit up there and the crew will be quite accommodating in helping you, rather than causing a "scene"! :p You'll have priority boarding anyway, just by being in Business Class, so you'll be easily able (and accommodated) to get a crew member to help you.

 

Have a great flight. I love the "penthouse" and reserve a seat up there whenever the opportunity presents itself to fly on a 747. I love that plane and hate to see it coming to then end of it's service life. But please note that the steps (on the 747) to get up to the upper cabin are very narrow and very steep. BE CAREFUL - even if your hands are free of luggage! Regards.

Happy to give you my penthouse seats. Last few trips I was given those seats. I can manage my carry on up the stairs but there is no overhead bin to store it. On KLM they leave them out in the galley area. I travel with a camera or two as a professional photographer and I won't leave my bag unattended. I had to empty my bag to fit in the side compartment. I was not very happy about being asked to just stick the bag in the hallway and there were no other options.

Happy to give you my penthouse seats. Last few trips I was given those seats. I can manage my carry on up the stairs but there is no overhead bin to store it. On KLM they leave them out in the galley area. I travel with a camera or two as a professional photographer and I won't leave my bag unattended. I had to empty my bag to fit in the side compartment. I was not very happy about being asked to just stick the bag in the hallway and there were no other options.

Sorry to hear about KLM. Actually, we flew KLM upstairs once and would never book that again (actually, we would not book KLM again - they have good food and service but their slanted business class seats are, IMO, horrible). I think we were talking about BA. They do have overhead bins as well as large areas next to the seats (plus they have lie-flat seats).

Jackie, it really is difficult from the west coast on any airline and avoid long layovers or overnights. We leave for Africa next week and are using Emirates to Dubai and connect to Johannesburg via JFK. I just found out Emirates flys non-stop from Orlando to DXB....too late to change as we are in the rare suites using our AMEX miles that they move to Skyward. We loved Singapore in F and and really look forward to flying EK

 

BA is an excellent airline but we just hate Heathrow and going through security again even in transit and schlepping on a bus to the next terminal. The oasis is the Concorde lounge in LHR.

 

Jackie, I enjoyed reading your food reviews and beautiful scenic pictures of the ports.

The Emirates flights from Orlando to Dubai do not start until Sept.

JourneyFan - As a "very frequent flyer", and as one who is "way beyond annoyed" at people (whether in Business/First or Economy) who insist on trying to carry on steamer trunks, "refrigerator boxes", small-sized vehicles, bass fiddles, along with 3-4 "hand carried" bags (rather than the ONE allowed hand carry bag) onto the plane, I'll try to restrain and moderate my answer here.

 

If the suitcase you want to bring onboard MUST be wheeled to your seat because it's simply too large/heavy for you to "hand carry" it comfortably to your seat.......then by definition, it doesn't really meet the definition of a "hand carried bag", does it?

 

That being said......if it's too awkward, too heavy, or too large for you to manage it by yourself while climbing the admittedly steep and narrow stairs to the "penthouse", I am absolutely sure the you can prevail upon one of the cabin staff (near the base of the stairs) as you board the plane to haul it up to the upper level for you without any trouble or complaint whatsoever. After all, you have paid a premium price to sit up there and the crew will be quite accommodating in helping you, rather than causing a "scene"! :p You'll have priority boarding anyway, just by being in Business Class, so you'll be easily able (and accommodated) to get a crew member to help you.

 

Have a great flight. I love the "penthouse" and reserve a seat up there whenever the opportunity presents itself to fly on a 747. I love that plane and hate to see it coming to then end of it's service life. But please note that the steps (on the 747) to get up to the upper cabin are very narrow and very steep. BE CAREFUL - even if your hands are free of luggage! Regards.

pingpong1,

My carry-on isn't a steamer trunk. It fits very nicely into every overhead compartment in both business and coach class. It does weigh about 24 lbs, though, mainly because it contains my 15" laptop.... yes, I probably should upgrade to an IPad but I hate those things. I have lots of shoulder problems so lugging 24 lbs. is work for me and my spouse is in worse shape than I am. The plane we'll be flying in is a Delta 747-400, which does have overhead compartments upstairs in the "penthouse" so I guess

we'll be OK once we get up there. We are both awful sleepers on planes so being upstairs sounds appealing since it is quieter.

TC - I'm afraid that in reading my comment/s you were so intent in digging down into the weeds and dissecting every word that you didn't stand back far enough to just look at the entire "tree" and understand the GENERAL advice I was providing.

I have no idea whether Journeyfan bought the Business Class tickets themselves (which I always choose to do) or whether they got their Business Class tickets via Regent's-provided ("all-inclusive") fare. Either way, Journeyfan (as does any passenger on any flight) is still paying for "premium seating" on the aircraft. Just by sitting in Business Class (vice Economy) means that "someone" paid a premium price (either directly or indirectly) for sitting in Business Class, over and above what an Economy Class seat would cost.

THAT was my point. No where did I say (or even imply) that Journeyfan had to pay "more" (to the airline or Regent) simply because he/she was sitting in Business Class "upstairs", rather than in Business Class "downstairs". You read into my post something that was not said or intended. Sheesh!

My experience (perhaps not yours) is that when I have a seat in Business or First, I can usually ask a crew member (and feel quite comfortable doing so) for a little added assistance (and getting it), in helping me maneuver an awkward/heavy bag "upstairs" than what I would probably receive if I were back in Economy and struggling with a bag and needing some assistance.

Without getting into a detailed discussion about the various price structures for seating locations on a 747, I was merely stating (with some confidence and with many thousands of air miles behind me) that Journeyfan could probably have a crew member help them in getting an awkward bag (without having any idea of the size/color/weight of it) up those stairs, if they asked nicely. That's all. Whether or not there was actual "room" for storing the bag upstairs, once it got there, was not part of Journeyfan's question. They only wanted to know if they might get some assistance with the bag on those stairs. And my answer, based upon my own experience, was "Yes".

I'm hoping that this last statement will not now draw countless more (and probably conflicting) responses. At this point, I'm dropping out of the thread. It's probably gone on way too long anyhow, its now wretchedly off topic, and I've learned from many previous discussions that there is not going to be any "winning" on this one, either. :rolleyes: The horse died several laps ago after a "sound thrashing". Regards

They do, and you may be interested to know they'll be operating the A380 out of Miami starting around the beginning of November 2015, along with the 747.

I wish I had known this two days ago when I booked my flights to and from Miami for January! Might have made me try BA again...

Anyway, I have learned that airplanes have numbers on their tails. Not sure what I will do with that information;)

No need to look at the tails, Jackie -- ALL BA planes have names and these are right near the boarding doors on the fusillage. (outside). You can also ask a crew member I suppose. Then you will know that you either have, or haven't been on that plane before!

And clearly you haven't picked this vital piece of info up yet either -- in the Upper Deck, just beside the top of the stairs there is a large closet area. Just ask the FA to put your large bag(s) into it. They will take them out once you land and you can collect them as you go down the stairs. I always put our larger carry ons there and keep a small bag with me with iPad, travelling clothes etc etc.

The Emirates flights from Orlando to Dubai do not start until Sept.

Thank you. I did not know that.

All KLM 747s now have very comfortable fully flat, non-angled seats with large overhead bins. That, together with great food, wine and service (for an airline), make KLM one of our favorite Business Class experiences to Europe.

No need to look at the tails, Jackie -- ALL BA planes have names and these are right near the boarding doors on the fusillage. (outside). You can also ask a crew member I suppose. Then you will know that you either have, or haven't been on that plane before!

 

And clearly you haven't picked this vital piece of info up yet either -- in the Upper Deck, just beside the top of the stairs there is a large closet area. Just ask the FA to put your large bag(s) into it. They will take them out once you land and you can collect them as you go down the stairs. I always put our larger carry ons there and keep a small bag with me with iPad, travelling clothes etc etc.

Thanks Gerry. I like the fact that the planes have names -- so logical! Actually, we don't care that we have been on a plane before -- it was just coincidental that we were and that I noticed it. If I had a choice of planes, I prefer the "new" one (i.e. the one with the new interior) as the seat cushions are much more comfortable.

In terms of carry-ons, ours are heavy but small -- both fit in the upper compartment and fortunately my DH is able to lift them. After our luggage was lost for 10 days, we tend to pack much more into our carry-ons than we did before. We typically would not book seats upstairs if we could not manage the stairs and the carry-ons. This time was a bit different but we discussed whether he could manage my carry-on -- I could manage the stairs so we sat upstairs.

Agree that the discussion on this page is off topic - perhaps it needs it own thread. However, IMO, we can learn a lot from others experiences on different aircraft.

I just noticed on "EventsatSea" Silver Shadow flunked health inspection, food was cold and sneeze shield wasn't adequate!

Google Events at Sea or cruise Junkie. for the details!

Since this thread started as a commentary on the food on the Mariner I would like to add my "two cents". We just got off the Mariner in Rome yesterday (yes, sadly back at home already).

First, I would like to give the positives. We found the service and attention in all areas of the ship to be absolutely first rate. On a scale of 1 - 10 it was a 20! Everyone from stewards to waiters to maintenance to officers and staff were helpful, polite, friendly and incredibly responsive.

We were on the Mariner last year just before the dry docking and renovations. Things looked a bit shabby back then. Not now! It's hard to believe how much they do in a few days to freshen things. Even the showers were redone. We liked the ship before, now it is magnificent.

Now to the food. I gave this a lot of thought. We were disappointed in the food on enough occasions to believe it was a ship-wide problem and not an isolated problem. Hopefully it is a food supply problem that can be rectified. The beef and lamb in particular were just not very good. I am pretty sure it was not a problem with the chef or chefs or their preparation. Lamb tended to be tasteless and beef (steaks in particular) were fatty and tough. It was the same even in Prime 7. Honestly the meat tasted like it had been frozen, thawed, and frozen again and had freezer burn. One "filet mignon" was clearly a piece of sirloin cut to look like a filet.

Having been on Regent cruises in the past and even one as recently as last year, this was different. I also had the feeling that the menus lacked something that was there before. I always found an entree that was special on every nightly menu before (like beef wellington). Not this time. I had to resort to the "we always have. . ." menu more than once to find something of interest.

I should add that basic staples including buffet items at the Veranda and breakfast eggs and omelets were well prepared and fine.

I wonder if others have notices any degradation in the food itself (as opposed to its preparation).

wbarrister: Very interesting comments and observations. We have been disappointed in the lamb for quite a while, however, the rack of lamb I had in Signatures was excellent (but the lamb my DH had in CR was disappointing). Did you return any of the steaks that were not to your liking? As I explained very early in this thread, I had steak that was difficult to cut into in Prime 7 and did not take my own advice about sending it back. Instead I spoke with the Dining Room Manager about it on the way out of the restaurant. When we returned to Prime 7 a few days later, the meat was delicious and done to perfection.

On our next cruise (not until November), we will pre-order food more often. We also did not find Beef Wellington on any menu during our 18 night cruise but it could have been ordered (24 hours notice) in CR. They did have Chateaubriand which was very good.

I really cannot answer your question about degradation of food on Regent because this subject pops up periodically and has done so for years. The meat that was loaded on board could have been poor. I once asked about the lamb and was told exactly where the lamb is from and how it is packaged. Although all of the lamb is from the same place, not all lamb is equal in flavor, size, etc. I do wonder why they serve lamb that is obviously more fatty or does not look as good as other cuts. You would think that they could use them in soup or something.

We watched produce being checked prior to it being loaded on board. Some items were accepted by the chef and other items were rejected. Still, they do not look in every box of each product as that would take forever. Once, on the Navigator, I had a crab claw that I don't even want to describe - it was gross. I called and the chef came to our suite to see it. Crab claws were immediately removed from the appetizer menu (they are on the butler menu daily). It was a bad batch.

Maybe someone in the food industry that is reading this may know why their seems to be such an inconsistency in products purchased from the same supplier.

I believe I was the first of our family group to order the rack of lamb (in CR). As I said in the earlier post I commented about it not being right at the time to the family but attributed it to a little bad luck in getting a poor serving. It really wasn't until a few days later that others in the family were expressing the same feelings about the lamb that we felt it was more than a random "bad luck" occurrence. By that time someone else in the family had ordered the rack of lamb in Prime 7 so we were getting the same result in different venues. We took the more diplomatic approach and just stopped ordering rack of lamb.

I only had beef on three occasions. The first was in Prime 7 and I ordered the rib eye. It did cross my mind to return it because it was about 60% fat but I ate the rest and was reasonably (but not completely) satisfied. The second order of beef was the filet mignon which was really a sirloin cut to look like a filet. I didn't see the point in returning it just to get another sirloin in its place. The final beef was actually Beef Wellington which was on the menu near the end of the cruise. To those at Regent that look at these posts: It was delicious! No complaint at all. On the other hand, I am not sure that a success rate of one in three in beef dishes is what Regent is looking for!

I want to say again that the human side of the equation can't be beat in our experience with Regent. The chefs and the service are first rate. The facility and its ambiance is first rate. I would hope that someone isn't cutting corners on the food itself, particularly the high end items like beef and lamb.

I want my comments to be constructive. We will certainly be back!

Wbarrister - Thanks very much for your comments and honest opinions. With respect to your experience re the meat onboard Mariner, it is not "just you", and it is not "just on Mariner", where this has been noticed. I have had veal in SM that was full of fat and gristle, and I have had filets and Rib Eye's in P7 that were just plain tough and of poor quality.....despite the fact that all beef onboard is supposed to be "prime". Hmmmm? :mad: And this occurred on two different ships and on 3 different cruises over a 3 year period.

Throughout the years I buy beef (that is only graded as "Choice") along with other meats (from Costco), and serve steaks, veal, pork & Lamb (in my own home) that is consistently better, more tender, and more flavorful, than that which I've been served on both Voyager and Navigator at various times.

Over time, I've been able to lower some of my "disappointment level" on these occasions, in advance, by "lowering my level of expectation" (when it comes to meals) when cruising on this "luxury cruise line". However, at $1,000/day/person...one should certainly not have to do this!

TC - Please remember that it is REGENT (not the customers) that claims (in their own advertising literature) that we will all be treated daily to "extravagant gourmet cuisine", that Regent only uses "dry-aged prime meats", that the "iconic Prime 7, the premier steakhouse at sea [serves] mouthwatering entrees...", and that "cruising has never tasted so good". Perhaps the advertising (with all the superlative adjectives) simply lifts our expectations to an unrealistically high level...or perhaps it's the fares that we're paying that's doing that! :p

And (TC) when you state, ".....I really cannot answer your question about degradation of food on Regent...", I'm not sure why you feel that the duty of having to explain Regent's "food failures" rests solely upon your shoulders? Best Regards.

And (TC) when you state, ".....I really cannot answer your question about degradation of food on Regent...", I'm not sure why you feel that the duty of having to explain Regent's "food failures" rests solely upon your shoulders? Best Regards.

The question was asked. I gave my input and hopefully others will give theirs. Assume that we are still permitted to give opinions when asked:confused: In any case, I had a piece of grouper on the Navigator -- several years ago that one could not cut with a knife. I have not encountered this before or since. As I posted, inconsistencies have been going on for longer than we have been cruising - not only on Regent but on at least one other luxury cruise line as well. Maybe they should be using Costco as their food supplier.